The Baby is Getting Bigger: Tips on Hiring Your First Sitter

Heading out on the town is something we might take for granted before we have children, but once that first bundle of joy arrives everything changes. New parents often feel like they’re abandoning their child – even if it is only for a few hours. Those that are well off can afford to hire a nanny, but that doesn’t mean they feel good about it. Hiring a qualified service with a strong reputation for hiring the best people can make the transition a lot easier.

Finding and Hiring Your First Sitter

Hiring your first sitter on your own is a daunting task. A good parent doesn’t want to leave their small baby with just anyone, but they also don’t have the time or expertise to perform a full background check. If you have enough disposable income, there are great services that can do the legwork for you, such as Not Just Baby Sitters (NJBS), which specializes in catering to wealthy and influential clients in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

This type of service may be the next best thing to having your mother-in-law living close by. Instead of hiring the neighbour’s teenage daughter or someone you’re even less familiar with, parents who use this type of service are hiring an actual professional. It’s stressful enough leaving your baby alone for the first time. Leaving them with someone that has all the right credentials can help with peace of mind.

Reputation

If you do opt for a company like NJBS, it’s important to learn as much as you can about their background. Unfortunately, just about anyone can create a professional looking website these days so that shouldn’t be your only criteria. A good place to start is an online search to try to establish their reputation. A service that’s been around for a while should have plenty of online feedback.

Word of mouth is another good way to learn about a babysitting services background. If you have a friend, family member, or neighbour that’s used a professional service before they may have some valuable insight that will make your decision a little easier.

If you’ve done a bit of homework into a service and you don’t like what you’ve heard, it’s normally a good idea to trust your instincts. According to Red Cross statistics, 55 percent of parents end up staying home because they’re just not happy with the options available to them.

Screening

What really sets a service such as the one offered by NJBS apart is the intensive screening process they put all of their employees through. It doesn’t matter if you’re hiring a sitter for a night on the town, or a live in nanny – they all go through the same rigorous process.

The overwhelming majority of parents also want a babysitter that’s certified in CPR and First Aid in case of emergency. The teenager next door may have these qualifications, but there are no guarantees. With a professional service, you may pay extra, but the person looking after your child will be trained in these essential life saving techniques.

Background Checks

There are many ways to tell if an agency really has the best interests of its clients in mind and it goes beyond hiring employees with CPR and First Aid. A good company will also know a lot about the background of each one of their employees.

At NJBS, each potential applicant must fill out a comprehensive application, they must be college educated, and they must be willing to go through a full background check. They’re also required to complete an essay so that the company can gain a little insight into their personality. If they fail in any area, they aren’t hired.

Satisfied Clients and Nanny’s

Even knowing that a sitter has gone through such a careful hiring process may still not be enough to convince some parents of young children that it’s all right to spend an evening away from their child. They still have to feel comfortable with the person they’re hiring. That’s why a professional service is probably a better option if it’s in your budget.

NJBS for example, sits down with individual clients and presents several different options. The client then gets to interview the potential sitter themselves to find out if they feel right. No matter how qualified a sitter is they still have to have a personality that the parent feels comfortable with. Otherwise that perfect night out is likely to turn into a nightmare of worry and stress.

It’s Okay to Have Fun

Having a baby is a life-changing event and it should be a positive one. That doesn’t mean parents shouldn’t be able to have a little personal time occasionally. They can only do that if they feel comfortable leaving their newborn with a babysitter and by hiring a professional babysitting service with a reputation for quality that is possible.